the    sides

Is there really a true beginning of a story? Or is the start of one story really the continuation of another? The story I’m in theoretically started the day I was born but really before that. I’m not trying to be overly philosophical this morning it’s just in preparing for the Christmas Stories series, I ran into this reality.

When does Jesus’ story begin? Matthew? The Prophets? Genesis? Before that? Or the Magi? What made them chase that star? What in their own story motivated them to load up a bunch of camels and travel halfway around their world? Was the star really the beginning of the story for them?

The beginning of a story is often just the point where our particular story intersects the larger one being written by God. So it’s really not the beginning of THE story but where THE story begins in us. And then we tell our story so that it intersects with others for the hope that their story changes, takes another path.

Way to philosophical for you? Me too on most days but the reality hits when I see life change in another person because of God’s story. Every encounter that I have – planned or not – is another opportunity to intersect someone’s life with God’s story, God himself. And stories change people.

That’s probably the thing I love most about Christmas – the stories and how they change people. It’s why I think Jesus is still the greatest story ever.